I first arrived in Thailand in 2004 and I came here more of less by accident. I had travelled a lot in Europe: Russia, Western Europe, Scandinavia, North Africa and north South America, but I had never found the time to travel to Asia.

One night, I was chatting to a friend who had travelled a great deal throughout the world and he was telling me about his favourite country, to where he had been returning year after year for fourteen years. Knowing my friend’s experience as a traveller, I was very surprised to hear that he had been choosing to go to the same location in Asia for fourteen years.

I just had to ask him which part of huge Asia held such an attraction for him and he said Thailand. I knew practically nothing about Thailand, except that I had had a few meals at a near-by Thai restaurant over the years. I also knew from collecting stamps as a boy that it used to be called Siam. Anyway, my friend asked me if I’d like to go. I answered that I would ‘one day’ and meant it.

He surprised me by stating that he was going to Thailand for a month soon and that I was welcome to go with him, if I wanted. I replied that I had a few jazz festivals to go to soon and maybe I would, if there was at least a month between them and if I could get a flight and if… I could hear myself putting him off, but I did not know why.

A number of hours later, I went home and being an avid Internet surfer, I checked out a bit about Thailand on the travel brochure sites. It looked truly fantastic. The prices were good too except for the flights. Hotels were cheap to reasonable and food and drinks prices were insignificant compared to where I lived. So, I checked the dates of the two Jazz festivals and they were thirty-three days apart. Now for the flight. I spent well into the next morning checking flights and discovered one for the day after the first festival leaving from our local airport. It was not the cheapest flight, but it gave me more time.

In a reckless moment, I booked it there and then online. I then found an inn with rooms to let online that my friend had said he went to on quiz evenings and thought that they would be open by now serving breakfasts. I sent them an email and a response came back twenty minutes later. I had been lucky again. The boss was in the middle of checking yesterday’s figures, when he saw my email come through. However, not sure of his Internet ability, he asked me to phone him right away. I checked my watch, it was still 4AM so I phoned.

He took my booking on trust and so I did not have to make a payment. I had heard about Thailand, made up my mind to go and booked the flight and room all within five hours and I could not wait for nine o’clock to come to inform my friend that I would be going too.

If you want to know how to get a UK visa, please go over to our website now at How to Get a UK Visa. Also published at Thailand – How I First Came Here.

Every fighter needs to have a good BJJ Gi as part of their kit. There are people who prefer to own more than one outfit. You can purchase an outfit that fits you accordingly and is tailored to your fighting style. There are a few things one needs to keep in mind when making such a decision.

When one plans to buy a custom made outfit they need to know what their measurements are. You should never try to take these measurements personally because they will not be accurate. In case there is no one to take the measurements for you ask the salesperson at the store to take them for you.

You are the one that gets to choose how the kimono will look like since you will be the one wearing it. None of the jackets made for the fighters have seams or joints. This is because they need a lot of freedom in their movements. Rip stop and cotton drill are the only trousers on offer.

Someone can either go for the competition cut or the loose cut. The competition cut is meant for people who prefer the tailored fit. The competition cut comes with short trousers and back shirts. The loose cut design is freer. When you wear the competition cut your opponent is left with less material to hold on to so they cannot control you. People wear the loose cut because it gives them additional room when adopting new moves.

When making a purchase you need to think about the fabric of choice. There are people who go for single weave because of various reasons. Since the fabric is not heavy someone can comfortably wear it in hot temperatures. Most of the fighters wear this fabric when going for competitions.

This fabric is good for custom outfits because it does not shrink when washed. Gold and double weave fabrics are not a good option because they are heavy, they shrink and are uncomfortable. In case you prefer any of the two fabrics you can still make a kimono from them. Pearl weave has begun finding favor with most fighters because it is comfortable, lightweight and resistant to shrinking. When a person is in heavy training or fighting they can wear the pearl weave outfits.

Be sure to take into account other factors as well. There was a time most fighters wore cotton trousers but this is no longer the case. Rip stops are becoming highly sought after. The reason behind this being that they are durable and tough. The lining can either be made from rubber or cotton.

The cotton lining is more affordable than its alternative. Rubber is a better option since it takes longer before losing its shape. Kimonos made from rubber lining dry faster than the ones made of cotton. The waist drawstrings can be flat cotton twills or round rope. The flat cotton twill becomes brittle because it needs to be tied all the time and breaks. Put in mind some of these tips when shopping for a fitting custom BJJ Gi.

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